You’ll need bourbon, sweet vermouth and angostura bitters. Then, if you want, finish it off with orange peel and a maraschino cherry for garnish.

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How to Make a Manhattan at Home

Not long ago, we sat and watched as a young mixologist painstakingly made us his take on a Manhattan. House-made bitters and vermouth were added. He stirred, never shook and the precision with which he used his personal zester, one that he has had for years was mesmerizing.

At home, we don’t make our own vermouth or bitters, not that we would want to (read: it would be pretty cool, though). Leaving the house-made stuff to the pros, we, instead, make this simple bourbon heavy recipe.

Recipe updated, originally posted February 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne

Classic Bourbon Manhattan Cocktail Recipe

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You only need three main ingredients to make this classic bourbon Manhattan at home. You’ll need bourbon, sweet vermouth and angostura bitters. Then, if you want, finish it off with orange peel and a maraschino cherry for garnish.

Makes 1 drink

You Will Need

2 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey

1 ounce sweet vermouth

2 to 3 dashes aromatic bitters (we use Angostura)

Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Orange peel, for garnish

Directions

Fill a martini glass to the brim with ice so it chills while you make the Manhattan.

Add whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters to a shaker or glass with a few ice cubes, and then stir or gently shake. Do not over do it, you do not want the ice to water down the drink. Discard ice from martini glass then strain Manhattan into the chilled glass and garnish with cherry and orange peel.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Find Angostura bitters at your local liqueur store or sometimes you can find it in the mixers section of the grocery store.

While we used bourbon in this version, it is also popular to use rye whiskey.

We like our Manhattan on the sweeter side, but if you prefer things on the dryer side, use 50/50 sweet vermouth to dry vermouth.

Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

I went to Spec’s and they had all kind of flavored bitters except plain bitters. I bought the lemon flavor. Could’ve had peach, lime, orange, cherry (which cost more?).
But I went with lemon. No regrets. Doesn’t really matter what the flavor, gotta have bitters in there somewhere.
Not. A. Purist.

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